Atkinson graduated from Oxford University and began her career as a journalist for the Washington Post, before moving on to The Economist, and the Times of London.

Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Atkinson was a senior executive at the International Monetary Fund.

Google's ongoing legal battles in Europe mean it's likely that Atkinson will be busy from the off. She'll be tasked with convincing European Union antitrust enforcement officials that Google does not abuse its dominance in web search.

Former presidential advisers are the flavour of the month in Silicon Valley at the moment. Uber appointed David Plouffe, also a former Obama adviser, in August 2014, while Amazon appointed Jay Carney, a former White House press secretary, early last year.

"Caroline’s an internationally respected diplomat and adviser, and we’re delighted to have such a thoughtful leader heading our global public policy team," Kent Walker, Google’s general counsel, said in a statement published by The New York Times.